Better This Way

Author's Pov

Beta Green wandered around the dining room long after the girl had left. First, he stood behind Indrik's chair, then got into his seat, then walked round to the other end of the room, pondering his discussion with the girl. He stroked his cheeks over and over as he wondered what he was missing. Indrik might be impulsive but he was not crazy. There was no way he would just choose to bring a random girl into the pack unless there was a reason. That was what he had to find out.

He recalled the time he had asked her the reason why Indrik had brought her. She had told him she didn't know but before that, there had been a slight hesitation which was more than enough to confirm his suspicion.

"Beta Green?"

He turned around as fast as lightning, having been startled out of his wits. The new arrival was lucky to not be within arm's reach or he would have hit her when he spun. "Gamma Victoria!" He sighed when he finally recovered from his shock. "My gosh, you startled me." He exhaled, still trying to balance his breathing.

"I'm sorry. What's troubling you though? I've been calling out to you for a while now." She muttered worriedly.

"Was I?" The Beta murmured absentmindedly as he examined her. She was pretty tall for a woman, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him. Her brown hair glittered under the lighting as her intelligent eyes studied him.

"I heard you invited the girl for breakfast." She continued when she realized he wasn't going to speak any moment soon.

"Yes!" He finally seemed to snap out of his thoughts as his eyes met hers, more focused this time. "I have a feeling there is something they are not telling us. A reason why Indrik chose to bring her to the pack." His voice started to sound distant again.

"You know what? I think you are right. The boy has always made sure to avoid responsibility and now, he not only brings someone into the pack but chooses to be punished in her place? Something is definitely the matter." The Gamma's eyes twinkled even more as she considered several possibilities.

"Exactly my point." The Beta exclaimed.

"The answer could actually be simple, you know?" Her eyes lit up with excitement as she looked up at the Beta. He frowned as he scanned her eyes, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" He finally asked.

"Have you seen the girl? She is pretty. What if..." She didn't complete her sentence. She did not need to before the Beta understood what she was talking about and he shook his head vigorously.

"No! No! No! She is a stranger to him. We know that because he had never left the Pack till recently. There is no way he would suddenly fall for a girl out of the blues. Besides, he is already engaged." The Beta murmured but he did not sound convincing enough, even to his own ears.

"An engagement that he already turned down." She reminded softly. "Besides, love works in mysterious ways. I believe you should know just how real love at first sight is." She gave him a meaningful look which was rewarded with a bitter smile.

"I should know." He muttered, his face looking sore like he had been forced to swallow an unripe fruit. Well, he had in a way. He turned to her like he had suddenly remembered something. "You didn't come here to discuss love, did you?"

She sighed as the smile fled from her face and she suddenly looked tired. "No, I did not." She admitted. "Although, what I came to discuss is not altogether removed from it."

The Beta's face hardened. "This is about Indrik, isn't it?" His voice sounded harsh and curt like he knew where the conversation was headed and totally did not want to go there.

She seemed to notice this as her voice grew more urgent. "The children are worried and frankly, I am too. Indrik as we well know, is weaker than most. And now, we have not only had him whipped severely, which by the way is his first time experiencing such, but we have also sent him to the dungeon which is one of the harshest places in our Pack. What if he can't recover or worse, what if he ends up dead?" The last part came out as a choked sob.

The Beta walked close to her and patted her slowly on the back till she had managed to calm down. "I understand where you are coming from. Believe me, I really do. To tell you the truth, it hurts me as well to have to do this to the boy. He is like a son to me, you know. It is what we have to do however. For the safety of the Pack and most especially, for his own safety. You know the risks that abound if we allow him too much freedom, don't you?" The Beta paused until she nodded. "It's alright. The children will understand while we have to do this someday. Till then, it is our duty to keep them safe. Every single one of them." Again, she nodded.

"I know you are right." Her voice sounded cracked, "still, I can't help but feel sorry for him. The boy is purer than most and to be honest, he would make a better leader than Leon but because of something that is no fault of his, he is forced to lead a sad life."

The Beta's face softened. "It is all for the greater good, Victoria. You and I both know that prospect would be nothing in the face of the problems that could be unleashed if things went wrong. It is too big a risk to take."

"I know. It breaks my heart to say this but you are right. Things are better this way!"